Friends
by WhisperInMyDreams
Summary: Forever Rekindling In Endless Nights, Demyx Style. Yeah, cheesy I know, but we wanted an acronym. What kind of madness can the members of Organization XIII get into when they live outside the castle walls and away from the watchful eyes of Xemnas? Only lots of fun and many nights of a lifetime of friendship. Lots of Fluff, little bit of the other stuff too...tee hee hee!


**A/N**: I wrote this one morning at ungodly hours because it was stuck in my head and I had a dream that wove with it. I read it out loud and my friends told me it sounded like I was writing a Kingdom Hearts version of the television series "Friends" The fact that they all live in the same apartment and madness can ensue, should make for and interesting plot. Enjoy a taste of Fluffiness and Friendship!

**Thunderstorms & Pancakes**

Roxas lay in bed alone as a shudder ran through his body. He hadn't known why, but the dream he'd just seen had seemed so vivid, so real that it scared him. He twisted his head to glance at the numbers on his digital clock, they shown as 2:20 am. He sighed as he slowly sat up, wrapping his arms around his chest as to try and comfort the chills still running through his mind. The sound of rain hitting the window was heavy behind his bedroom curtains. He tried to shake the images that had terrified him from his mind and stood from the warm comfort of his bed realizing that sleep was elusive and it would not soon come to him. He walked to the opposite side of his room, pulling open the closet door and reached for one of his graphic t-shirts. As he pulled the shirt over his head, he felt a rumble in his stomach and realized he was starving.

Since he had the apartment to himself, he had eaten light, not bothering to make a fuss about dirtying the kitchen. He gripped the bottom of his shirt and pulled so it sat above his hips at the waistline of his sweatpants. He closed his closet door and headed to the far side of the bedroom. Roxas grabbed his phone and checked to see if there were any new messages. To his surprise, there was a new text message. Roxas slid the lock button to the side and punched in his password as he absentmindedly walked to exit his bedroom. The text was from Axel who were currently on a mission with Demyx, Zexion, Marluxia, and Siax.

It was simple 'Roxas, sleep tight and take care of yourself. We'll be home tomorrow' He sighed as the light from his phone dimmed and he slid the device into his pocket. It was then that he had taken notice to how dark the apartment truly was, as he stared into the darkness trying to make his eyes adjust to the little light around the living room. He thought that maybe if he got something to eat, it would settle his nerves a little. As he started to walk forward and try to maneuver through the darkened space, he saw a small shadow bolt from under the sofa and run towards his feet.

"Ahhh!" Roxas let out a shriek as he tried to move backwards away from the shadow. He bumped into the corner of the couch and was sent tumbling over the edge! He landed with a hard 'thud' on the floor, and that's when he saw the shadow stop in front of him. The small black shape began to purr and Roxas gasped in relief as he realized it was just the cat. "Dammit Treble, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" He reached a hand forward and felt the softness of fur as the cat ran under his hand before trilling contently and running into Demyx and Zexion's bedroom.

"Geez, pull it together!" He shook off his scare as he stood slowly, rubbing his sore backside. "There is nothing to be afraid of in your own home" But just saying the words out loud had hardly convinced him. He stared around the darkness, the pit of his stomach starting to ache from the combination of both hunger and fear. He thought that maybe it was best if he just went back to bed, perhaps try and play some video games or something to take his mind off of these ridiculous illusions of monsters in his home.

He turned slowly, so as not to trip again and made his way back to the entrance of his bedroom. He pushed the door open, but didn't bother to close it behind him. He grabbed his handheld game system from his desk as he walked back and plopped down on the bed. Almost simultaneously, there was a loud crack as a bolt of lightning lit up his room and thunder boomed a short distance away. Roxas jumped as he looked at the window.

"Oh, really? This is just not my night!" He lay back, trying to relax, but his stomach reminded him that he hadn't got anything to eat

"Just shut up!" He growled as he poked his stomach in frustration. He flipped his game open and instantly his room lit with a series of colors and comforting sounds. Roxas let out a slow breath as he started to push the buttons on his console, focusing all of his thought into the game. He had began to feel slightly better when another crack outside made him gasp and jump from his bed, swinging his legs quickly over the side and onto the floor.

"Nope! Can't do it!" He used the light from his handheld to walk quickly through the living room and out the front door of the apartment. He let the door slam behind him and pulled to check that it had locked. His bare feet skimmed across the cold floor as he quickly walked to the door across the hall from his. Without another thought, Roxas raised his hand and knocked hard a few times on the large wooden door.

It took a few moments, but he heard the sound of locks clicking and the groggy voice that was unlocking them was talking confusingly. Roxas watched as the door flew open and looked up into the sleepy blue eyes of its tenet.

"Roxas?" Xion held the door with one hand as her other wiped at the stray hairs that had fallen into her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Roxas' eyes moved to the floor almost guiltily as he took in the sight of Xion standing in her pajamas, that were pants covered in cupcakes, and a matching purple tank top that had one large cupcake on it. The word 'Sweetheart' was written in glittered swirls across the top.

"I uh…" He stopped abruptly, realizing the time it was and the fact that he had woken her up. "Sorry" He turned to leave but felt the soft grip of Xion's hand on the top of his shoulder.

"Roxas…" He turned to meet her gaze as she let go of his arm and pushed a bit of her dark hair from her eyes. "What is it sweetie?" On a normal circumstance, he didn't like the cute pet names, in fact he hated when Axel would use them to get him to do chores or give him something he wanted. But at that moment, 'sweetie' sounded like something wonderful to be called if he got out of that creepy apartment. He stared up at her concerned face as the words he was searching for suddenly evaded him. How could he tell her that he was afraid of being alone in a thunderstorm after having a stupid nightmare? Roxas chewed on his bottom lip, and let his eyes glance down the hall as he sighed loudly.

Suddenly he felt the warm embrace of Xion as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight comforting hug.

She leaned close to his ear and whispered "It's okay, I don't really like to be alone during storms either" As she pulled back, he looked into her smiling eyes and couldn't help but smile back.

"Come on" She opened the door wider and motioned with her head for him to follow her in. Roxas slipped his game system into is other pocket as he entered the living room of Xion and Namine's apartment. It was dark except for the one lamp at the end of the loveseat that Xion must've clicked on while she was walking to answer the door.

He heard the click as the door latched and Xion turned to face him. Her arms were folded across her chest, but she didn't look upset, only a little tired.

"Better?" She asked walking towards Roxas

"Much" He Nodded. "Thank you for answering the door. I know it's late" Again his eyes shot to the floor with guilt.

"It's not a problem" She waved her hands in front of her face as she moved past him to sit on the loveseat. His senses were filled with the smell of lavender and something sweet, almost like cinnamon. Xion always had a special smell to her, and Roxas didn't know why but it comforted him. She patted the spot next to her on the loveseat and he nodded before walking over and sitting down.

"So," She turned her attention towards him. "What should we do to kill time?"

Roxas shrugged his shoulders as he looked around the room. He hadn't thought of anything to do, only to escape from the apartment quickly. He thought about suggesting that maybe they could watch some TV, when a loud grumble sounded from his stomach and he placed his hands over his abdomen.

"Well, I guess we should find you something to eat" Xion said with a light laugh, and Roxas grinned with embarrassment.

She stood from the couch and walked past him, sliding between the coffee table. Roxas watched as she moved with graceful steps through the dining room and walked into the kitchen, flicking on one of the lights as she entered. "Well, are you coming?" She called from the kitchen and Roxas stood quickly to walk into the kitchen with Xion.

"What're you in the mood for?" She was standing in front of the open refrigerator and browsing the shelves as he stepped into the room, rubbing his lower back. He realized he must have hit it on the arm of the couch during his fall, but had been too scared to notice the pain until just now.

"I don't know" He wandered over to stand next to Xion and look into the fridge with her.

"I really don't need you to fuss over me. I'll just have a sandwich or a bowl of cereal"

Xion turned her head and grinned at Roxas "Nonsense. My kitchen is always open to friends, even at abnormal hours in the morning."

Roxas couldn't help but smile at the warmth in her eyes and he felt a heat in the pit of his stomach. "How about…" She reached in and started grabbing things "Eggs, bacon, pancakes and hash browns?"

Roxas felt his stomach growl again at the thought of food. "That sounds delicious!" Xion nodded as she handed a few of the ingredients to Roxas and instructed him to put them on the counter. As she closed the refrigerator, she looked at Roxas and asked

"Now you're gonna help me, right?"

Roxas nodded as he wiped his hands down the front of his pants "Oh, of course"

"Good. This'll be fun" Xion smiled as she moved to one of the cupboards and pulled a large fry pan out.

As they cracked eggs into a bowl, the smell of bacon filled the apartment. Roxas could feel the roar in his stomach, but he ignored it. He was having too much fun laughing and trying to avoid Xion's attempts at flinging pancake batter at his face. She caught him by surprise as he moved over and handed her a box containing already made hash brown patties, and he gasped when the cold of the white batter combined with the warmth of her finger slid down the side of his cheek. She laughed in victory, and danced away quickly to flip the cakes from the griddle on the stove. But not fast enough. Roxas had dipped his finger into the glass bowl of batter and ducked behind her, tapping her shoulder so she turned her head the opposite way when he ran his finger down the center of her nose leaving a streak that looked almost tribal. She tipped her head back and Roxas really liked the sound of her laughter through the kitchen. He then remembered that there was a terrible storm raging outside of the building, but Xion had filled that fear with kindness and laughter. She turned and looked at him with the white streak still down her nose as she placed a few hash browns into the heated oil on the stove.

"Will you whisk the eggs real quick?" Roxas nodded and turned to grab the bowl still sitting on the counter. He whisked the eggs together with a little bit of milk and tossed the fork into the sink. As he stepped up next to Xion, he saw that she was pulling the strips of bacon from the pan and placing them onto a plate lined with paper towel.

"Thanks" She set down the tongs and dumped the eggs into the pan the bacon had come out of. "Almost done" She flipped the last few pancakes onto a platter before shaking the hash browns. "Will you get in the fridge and get out the syrup and butter?"

Roxas nodded as he turned "Sure thing" As he closed the fridge and turned back around with the items in his hands, he watched Xion place the hash browns on the same plate as the bacon. "I'll put these on the table" Roxas held up the butter and syrup as Xion nodded and stirred the eggs.

Roxas placed the syrup on the end of the dining room table and smiled as he watched as Xion danced in front of her stove while she cooked. He felt a lurch in his gut.

"Knock it off, it's almost ready!" He placed his hand on his stomach as he looked down.

"Actually," He looked up to see Xion carrying a large platter in one hand with two small ones in the other "Everything's done"

Roxas watched as she glided into the dining room. "I could've helped you" He reached for one of the plates

"That's okay, I got it." She leaned forward and placed the platters on the table with a quick movement. "Besides, you're my guest" She stood and wiped her hands together. "You want some milk?" She pushed a bit of her bangs from her eyes as she began to turn back into the kitchen.

"Sure" Roxas watched her grab a gallon of milk with one hand, while her other hand reached to grab two plates setting on the counter.

"At least let me help you with that" Roxas rushed forward and grabbed the sets of silverware and two glasses from the counter.

"Thanks" She smiled at him as they walked back into the dining room.

"I'm so freaking hungry!" Roxas grabbed his stomach as he placed the silverware and glasses on the table.

"Well, help yourself" Xion handed him a plate, and began to pour milk into the two glasses. Roxas had already put pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs on his plate when he noticed Xion was just sipping from her glass of milk as she nibbled at a piece of bacon.

"Please tell me your eating too" Roxas reached for a hash brown to put on his plate. "Or you'll make me feel bad for eating your food at 3 in the morning" His eyebrow was raised slightly as his gaze rested on Xion.

"Of course. But first…" She held up a finger as she set her glass down and turned to head into the kitchen. Roxas was covering his pancakes with maple syrup when he felt the warmth of a washcloth brush the side of his face gently. He set the syrup on the table as he realized that Xion was wiping the pancake batter from his cheek.

"Sorry about that" He turned his face to see her wiping the bridge of her nose, removing the white streak.

"Don't be" Roxas grinned "It was fun cooking with you!"

Xion nodded as she reached a hand forward and ruffled it through the blonde spikes on Roxas' head. He smiled as she grabbed her plate and started to pile food on it.

After she had set down next to Roxas and handed him a glass of milk, she reached for the syrup and drowned the contents of her plate with it.

"What?" She looked over at the shocked expression on Roxas' face

"Don't you usually eat…like organic and healthy?" Xion grinned as she sliced through the stack of pancakes and picked a large bite up with her fork, biting down into the rich sweetness. She licked the bit of syrup running down her chin as she smiled at Roxas "Sometimes I indulge in the unhealthy" Roxas laughed and started eating his breakfast once more.

As they sat at the table, Xion asked Roxas if he was looking forward to going on some of the field missions with Axel. He implied that he was excited and couldn't wait to be out with the rest of the Organization. They talked about music they were both into, movies they preferred to watch, and some of the things that disturbed them most about living in the same building as so many Organization members. In fact as they ate, Roxas felt really comfortable talking to Xion. It was easy, and she made life seem so much more interesting.

As they cleared the table Roxas offered to help do the dishes, but Xion insisted they watch a movie instead and she would take care of the mess in the kitchen at a later time.

Roxas walked into the living room and was greeted by a ball of multicolored fluff purring loudly around his ankles. "Hey Analeigh" He bent down and scooped up the kitten, carrying her over to the loveseat where he sat and placed her in his lap. She moved back and forth as she rubbed herself onto the palm of his hand purring loud and mewing as he spoke soft words to her.

"I was wondering if you were going to come out" Xion walked around the corner of the dining room after turning all the lights off. She was carrying 2 bottles of juice in one hand and what looked like candy bars in the other. "Want a drink?" She held out one of the bottles of bright pink liquid.

"Sure" Roxas reached up and grabbed the bottle. Xion stepped in front of him and reached for the silver remote sitting on the coffee table.

"M&M's or Reese's peanut butter cups?" She turned with the chocolate in her hands. Roxas shrugged as she flicked on the television. "Well, you can't watch a movie without having some dessert"

Roxas nodded "We could share?"

"Yeah, I'm cool with that" Xion opened the package of M&M's and held the bag to Roxas. He opened his hand and watched as the different colored chocolates rolled around his hand.

"What do we wanna watch?" Xion began to flick through her movie channels.

"Anything but zombie movies!" Roxas said, popping a chocolate into his mouth. Roxas hated when axel would have zombie marathons with Demyx. He and Zexion would usually end up dragged onto the couch to be cuddled with, or if they were lucky they could sneak into his room and play video games.

"Why? I'll protect you" She smiled at him with a wide grin and that warmth filled his stomach again. "But I agree, nothing scary right now"

As she flipped through the movie options, Roxas settled into the comfortable brown material of the loveseat, petting Analeigh as she purred and licked at the tips of his fingers. Eventually they decided that 'Avatar' was a good choice for the night. Xion slouched back and curled her feet underneath her. She opened her pink strawberry daiquiri drink and took a few sips before Analeigh moved over to ask for attention. Her hand ran down the back of the soft ball of fluff a few times before the kitten mewed once and jumped from her lap. Roxas was watching the movie, when a yawn escaped his mouth and he felt his eyelids becoming heavy. The truth was, he had a full stomach and was exhausted from lack of sleep. He could remember seeing the blur of colors and hearing the bit about Jake having to keep a video journal but protesting, when suddenly his head felt like it weighed 50 pounds and he slumped to the side.

Roxas was fighting to sit back up when he felt the soft touch of fingers run gently through his hair pulling his head back down. Xion made shushing sounds as she ran a hand down the side of his face and placed his head onto her lap. Roxas could feel his legs lift slowly to curl under him, but they too felt extremely heavy. He sighed contently as the gentle motion of fingers in his hair lulled him to sleep in the comfort of Xion's company.

A/N: Just a little idea my friends and I through around. I had this floating in my head and got on the computer one night to type it up. If I get a few reviews, we have ideas to continue the series. Hope you all enjoy!


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